NIGHTCLUB JITTERS

Caveat: the lens here is through the mind of a 15-year-old girl in 1989, trapped inside the body of a middle-aged woman in 2019. They are the same person but not. We’re listening to a Spotify playlist that has each DTAS track placed one after the other, to aid direct comparison.  

Should I listen? Can I listen? Do I buy the box set? What if I get depressed (again)?

Reactions

This new (old) mix lacks balls. I miss the punch and the crunch.

Parts of the Wallace mix sound very tentative, like a slow train. Also too precious.

Fuck you! “We’ll Inherit the Earth” is an ANTHEM. That soaring riff still makes me cry. A modern-day “Lark Ascending”? OK, I’m getting carried away…

“Asking Me Lies” ROLLS! There’s an interview with Paul or Keith Richards where they talk about songs that roll. This is most definitely one of them.

Sometimes the Wallace mixes seem too “cut and paste” (I’ll call it “intentional chaos”).

The man (Paul) can write a song!!!

I don’t like banjo.

Rock N Roll Ghost is to Paul what Rock N Roll Suicide was to Bowie.

Still Favorite Lines After All These Years

“I got my hands in my pockets, and I’m waitin’ for the day to come.”

“To the brown-eyed beholder, see the chip, on your shoulder…”

“I’ve been aching for a while now, friend, I’ve been achin’ hard for years.”

“Well the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting drunk…”

“Well I laughed, half the way to Tokyo. I dreamt I was Surfer Joe, and what that means I don’t know.”

“I wha wha wha wha wha won’t!”

“Five hundred midnight’s since have past, since I held you fast…”

The sarcastic laughter in RNRG.

Important Questions that Still Need Answers

Who’s playing harp? Paul or Slim or ???!

Who is the person in the cassette sleeve standing in the shadows, wearing fishnets?

What does L.L.Y.F.F. mean?

Why was this album hated so much?

Coming soon: a post about all the other crap that’s on Dead Man’s Pop (besides the Matt Wallace mixes). Thank you for reading and please comment below. 

I’ll come straight to the point and relate that if you haven’t got Trouble Boys by Bob Mehr yet, stop reading this entry and get it!

If, like me, you’ve spent your summer staying up ’til midnight reading the damn thing, then continue reading this post. There are some surprises…

Mehr was in Portland as part of his promo tour for Trouble Boys, a highly anticipated and very engaging tome about The Replacements. He was joined by Scott McCaughey of The Young Fresh Fellows and Peter Jesperson, Twin/Tone Records co-founder and former manager of the legendary Minneapolis record store, Oar Folkjokeopus. The event, dubbed “Portland: We’re Sorry,” was pretty much packed, with a quiet, yet enthusiastic crowd.

Of course, Mehr and crew touched on the infamous night The Replacements and The Young Fresh Fellows “played” The Pine Street Theatre, back in ’87. “I don’t remember much…” McCaughey quipped, laughing. If you don’t know the story, read this.

But the best parts for us ’Mats obsessives?

Learning that Paul Westerberg wanted to call what became the “Don’t Tell the Soul” album “Tit for Tad.” 

In one part of “Kids Don’t Follow,” Paul sings “Kids don’t NRBQ.”

McCaughey playing “If Only You Were Lonely.”

Being in the same room with Jesperson. 

After I got my book signed, I approached one of Jesperson’s friends. We got talking and he flagged Peter over.

“You’re the real hero here, I mean, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have this book, we wouldn’t have all the music,” I said. Then I rambled about how as a teenager, I’d pour over the liner notes on Sorry Ma…, Hootenanny and Let It Be and wonder, “who is this Peter Jesperson. I wanna meet him!”

By now, Peter was flushed. “Oh thank you, you’re very kind,” he said.

“Well, it’s from the heart,” I said. “You don’t have to sign anything, I just want to give you a hug.” And I did.

I ended up walking through Powell’s Books with Peter and his two buddies. We talked music and the impact of folks like themselves (record store nerds/music fanatics) on the world. Before we parted ways, they recommended I pick up the album “Bulk” by Jack Logan. “You’ll love it!” Jesperson said.

Heading home, I got a little nostalgic. As a teenager, record store folks like Jesperson were catalysts, idols of sorts. Think of all the music they turned us onto!

And on that note, I’m gonna hop in bed and pour over the liner notes of Sorry Ma…, Hootenanny and Let It Be, just like I did way back. Now, where is my Walkman?

Thank you Bob, Peter and Scott for sharing your stories with us today!